Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan
Alberta Blue Cross
Physicians
Nurses
MRIs
Private Surgical Contracts
Health Quick Facts
Statistics & Data Sets
Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan
Insured Services
Under the Canada Health Act, Alberta residents receive full coverage for medically necessary physician and hospital services, and specific oral surgical services.
The Health Care Insurance Plan provides additional benefits to the services required under the Canada Health Act.
Premiums
Alberta collects premiums on the principle they are a clear, open reminder that health care has a cost. Premiums account for 9 cents of every dollar spent on Alberta’s health care system. British Columbia and Ontario also collect health premiums. Other Canadian provinces use alternative ways to generate revenue for health care, such as provincial sales taxes.
- Family rate $88.00 per month
- Single rate $44.00 per month
An estimated 873,000 Albertans will be eligible to have their premiums waived or subsidized through government programs as of April 1, 2006. Subsidies are based on the previous year’s taxable income. Please see the subsidy information page for current income levels and forms.
Premium subsidies for seniors are provided through the Department of Seniors, all seniors, regardless of income are exempt from paying Alberta Health Care Insurance premiums.
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Alberta Blue Cross Non-Group Plans
Benefits under Alberta Blue Cross
Alberta Health and Wellness funded non-group drug plans are administered by Alberta Blue Cross.
They provide coverage to Albertans who are not eligible to receive prescription drug benefits from an employer or other private plans.
These plans provide access to prescription drugs and provide up to $25,000 in coverage per subscriber in each benefit year. There are 3,600 drugs on the Alberta Health and Wellness drug benefit list.
Cost to Government
The Alberta government paid more than $521 million towards Blue Cross plans, which includes $403 million towards seniors drug plans last year (ending March 31, 2005).
Alberta Blue Cross non-group premium rates
Albertans under the age of 65 must pay monthly premiums to receive Blue Cross coverage. If an individual qualifies for subsidized Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan premiums, their Blue Cross premiums are automatically subsidized
Family rates (2 or more people)
- Full premiums $41.00 per month
- Subsidized premiums $28.70 per month
Single rates
- Full premiums $20.50 per month
- Subsidized premiums $14.35 per month
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Physicians
Stats
As of December 31, 2005 there were 6,279 physicians registered in Alberta with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta
- 2,800 received postgraduate training in Alberta.
- 1,669 received postgraduate training in other parts of Canada.
- 1,810 received postgraduate training outside of Canada.
Source:
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, December 31, 2005 Quarterly Report
From 2000- 2005 the number of physicians registered in Alberta rose by 3.7 per cent annually.
- Alberta’s population increased by 1.6 per cent annually over the same period.
- The number of physicians practicing in Canada increased by 1.5 per cent annually over the same period, while the population in Canada has increased at 1.0% per year.
Source: Canadian Medical Association (Physician Counts), Statistics Canada (Population) and College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta Quarterly reports.
Most recent education stats:
The number of medical residency seats funded in Alberta has increased by 34 per cent in the past five years, to a total of 1,037 seats in the 2006/07 academic year. These seats include:
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Nurses
Registered Nurses Stats
For the year 2004 the Alberta Association of Registered Nurses reported there were 27,348 Registered Nurses registered in Alberta. The following percentages reflect those nurses employed by the Regional Health Authorities and Alberta Cancer Board (as of March 31, 2005), but do not include all nurses working in private or contracted facilities.
- 25.1 per cent are working regular full-time hours.
- 39.1 per cent are working regular part-time hours.
- 5.6 per cent are working temporary hours.
- 25.4 per cent are working casual hours.
- 4.7 per cent are taking a leave of absence.
Source: Regional Health Authority Workforce Reporting 2005
Registered Psychiatric Nurses Stats
For the year 2004 the Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Alberta reported there were 1,241 Registered Psychiatric Nurses registered in Alberta. The following percentages reflect those nurses employed by the Regional Health Authorities and Alberta Cancer Board (as of March 31, 2005), but do not include all nurses working in private or contracted facilities.
- 48.3 per cent are working regular full-time hours.
- 30.8 per cent are working regular part-time hours.
- 2.6 per cent are working temporary hours.
- 14.7 per cent are working casual hours.
- 3.5 per cent are taking a leave of absence.
Source: Regional Health Authority Workforce Reporting 2005
Licensed Practical Nurses Stats
For the year 2004 the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta reported there were 6,037 Registered Nurses registered in Alberta. The following percentages reflect those nurses employed by the Regional Health Authorities and Alberta Cancer Board (as of March 31, 2005), but do not include all nurses working in private or contracted facilities.
- 48.4 per cent are working regular full-time hours.
- 30.8 per cent are working regular part-time hours.
- 2.6 per cent are working temporary hours.
- 14.7 per cent are working casual hours.
- 3.5 per cent are taking a leave of absence.
Source: Regional Health Authority Workforce Reporting 2005
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Who pays?
Alberta’s health authorities provide MRI scans based on a doctor’s referral. The cost of these scans is covered by health care funding provided by the Provincial Government to the health authorities.
There are 19 public MRI machines in Alberta located in Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie.
Albertans also have the option of purchasing an MRI scan outside of the public system. There are 6 private MRI clinics in Alberta.
Cost
Health Authorities expect to spend approximately $5 to $10 million to purchase and install each new MRI machine.
Health authorities incurred about $500 in costs for each typical MRI scan in 2004/05. Complex scans or a series of scans can be more costly.
Waiting times
As with any medical procedure, critical MRI scans take priority over urgent and non-urgent scans.
Critical scans usually are completed within 24 to 48 hours.
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Private Surgical Contracts
Current approved contracts - Day Procedures
Private surgical facilities in Alberta must have a contract with a regional health authority in order to provide insured day services. Insured surgical services are medically necessary procedures which are paid for by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
The chart below outlines which health regions have chosen to contract with private health care clinics, the types of procedures these facilities are providing and the cost to the public health system.
To date, the Minister has approved 35 contracts. Click on a specific service to view details about the service providers under contract.
Facilities Approved for Overnight Stays
Health Resource Centre, a private surgical facility in Calgary, has been approved by the Minster of Alberta Health and Wellness to provide five procedures requiring overnight stays:
- Primary total hip arthroplasty.
- Uncomplicated, primary total knee arthroplasty.
- Uncomplicated, primary total shoulder arthroplasty.
- Uncomplicated, lumbar posterior spinal fusion - not exceeding two disc-space levels.
- Lumbar spinal laminectomy - not exceeding two disc-space levels.
Two of these, the hip and knee arthroplasties, are provided as insured services under contract to the Calgary Health region. All five procedures are provided as uninsured services outside the public health system, for example, to clients of the Workers' Compensation Board.
HRC is accredited by the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons to ensure patient safety.
Approval Process
The College of Physicians and Surgeons sets the medical safety standards and accredits all private surgical facilities in Alberta. The College determines which procedures can be safely performed in these facilities.
- Insured surgical services: The Minister has final approval over all contracts between private surgical facilities and regional health authorities.
- Uninsured overnight surgical services: The Minister has final approval over all proposals for facilities providing uninsured surgical services requiring an overnight stay.
- Uninsured day surgical services: College accreditation is the only requirement for uninsured day surgical services.
How does the Minister conduct her review?
A review team at Alberta Health and Wellness examines all contracts and proposals and then makes recommendations to the Minister who has final approval over all private surgical facilities.
For insured procedures the Minister ensures:
* Click on the link to read more about the Ministry criteria for approval of insured services.
For uninsured procedures requiring an overnight stay, the Ministry ensures:
- There will be no adverse impact on the public health system,
- The facility will serve the public interest.
- No conflict of interest exists.
- The proposal complies with the principles of the Health Care Protection Act and the Canada Health Act.
* Remember, Ministerial approval is not required for uninsured day surgical services. Click on the link to read more about the Ministry criteria for approval of uninsured services requiring an overnight stay.
Frequently asked questions
What is an overnight or in-patient stay?
An overnight or in-patient stay refers to a surgical service that requires more than 12 hours of medically supervised post-operative care.
What is an insured surgical service?
Insured surgical services are medically necessary procedures which are paid for by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
What are uninsured surgical services?
Under the Canada Health Act, uninsured surgical services include elective procedures that are not medically required, such as cosmetic surgery, and procedures paid by the Workers’ Compensation Board, RCMP, Armed Forces, other provinces, the federal government, and out-of-country residents.
How is a private surgical facility different from a private hospital?
Private surgical facilities may offer only the limited services approved by the College of Physicians and Surgeons. The Health Care Protection Act expressly prohibits private hospitals in Alberta.
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